i have a scene in the book president obama called ben bernanke over to the white house in august 2009 the wednesday evening right before bernanke flew out to jackson hole. but it was secret for several dates. bernanke, it was only announced when the president was on vacation the next week in massachusetts. the question this year is how quickly does the president move on finding a new nomination, whether it's ben bernanke or someone else. it will clearly be somewhere around that time, late august, september you. don't want to wait too long because you have to get the person confirmed before bernanke's term ends in january of 2014. i think it's really the biggest decision barack obama has to make this year. >> neil irwin, thank you very much. writer of "the alchemist." tomorrow we'll speak with randy kroszner about the fed, the statement and the health of the economy. >>> still ahead on the program, banking budgets and badges. why the girl scouts is no longer just about selling cookies. >>> but first, a look at how commodities fared today, including gold, which had its worst monthly per